Chivalry
by Socks O'Connor
Summary: Camelot and Newsies. Yay!
1. Cast

King Arthur ......................David Jacobs

Queen Guenevere ............Adele Everard

Sir Lancelot .....................Kid Blink

Sir Dinadin .......................Jack

Sir Lionel .........................Racetrack

Sir Sagrimore ...................Spot

Mordred ..........................Oscar Delancey

Queen Morgen La Faye** .....**Onyx****

King Pellinore ...................Kloppman

Squire Dap .......................Snipeshooter

Page ...............................Boots

Tom ................................Les

Ladies and Knights:

Illusion :: Specs

Daze :: Skittery

Nora :: Bumlets

Maverick :: Snoddy

Babble :: Swifty

Peppermint :: Spot

Bottle Cap :: Mush

Fairies:

Gip

Tempest

Marissa

Socks


	2. Prologue

            Light had not yet touched the drowsy camp outside the castle. Only two men were stirring. Those men were Spot Conlon, knight to the king of all England, and David Jacobs, his king. David and Spot were perched atop a hill as the light slowly increased through the thick morning fog. The silence of the morning was only interrupted by the sound of Spot pacing heavily at the top of the hill behind where David was perched, picking a flower apart and gazing down into the enemy camp. 

            "Will you cut that out?" he hissed at Spot from his spot in the grass. Spot shot a glare at the back of his head. 

            "Yes, sir," he replied louder than David would have liked him to. He dropped to the ground next to David sullenly. "I still don't see why we don't attack them now, while they're sleepin'!"

            David stared still intently at the camp. "No. We don't attack until dawn," he said firmly. "And if you don't keep it down, they _won't_ be asleep any longer."

            Spot bit his lip. David _was_ the king after all. He stood up quickly and walked quickly off, intending to wake some of the other members in the camp. 

            David laid back in the damp grass and sighed.

            "Merlin, why is it that Adele is in that camp down there that I can't enter? Where did I go wrong? What did I do to push her away? Should I have resisted loving her? No, then I shouldn't have been born. What happened, Merlin? Tell me. Why? I haven't got much time. Please tell me. As soon as the sun peeks over the trees, the arrows begin to fly, and who knows if I will die this time. If I _am_ going to die, don't let me die not knowing!" 

            He heard a quiet, echo-y voice, which he recognized instantly. "Think back, David, think back!"

            David sighed. "Merlin…"

            "Think back! Think back! Think back to one of the most important days of your life…"

            "But… but I was only a boy when I met you Merlin. How will that explain this to me?"

            "No, no!" Merlin chuckled. "Not the day you met _me_! The day you met Adele!"

            David closed his eyes and his mind spun with all the thoughts of Adele…


	3. Scene 1

                        A much younger king was perched high up in a tree, looking particularly sulky at something. That something was that his bride would arrive today, and he certainly didn't feel ready to have one. 

            Merlin appeared at the foot of the tree.

            "Get down here, Wart!" he called up loudly. "I have something very important to tell you."

            David swung down some and perched himself on the lowest branch. "Is it about my bride? Tell me, Merlin, is she very pretty?"

            "I don't know," Merlin lied.

            "Oh, yes, you do!" David persisted. "You know everything. You told me so yourself!" He grinned at his white-haired friend.

            "Alright, fine, yes, she's pretty."

            "_Very_ pretty?" 

            "Yes, _very_ pretty."

            "Is she beautiful?"

            "That's not what I came here to talk to you about, David! Would you hold still for a minute so that I can talk to you?" Merlin angrily banged his staff on the ground, causing it to emit sparks.

            David stopped and looked at Merlin. "What's the matter?" he asked. "You're not usually this short with me."

            "I have news for you," Merlin answered.

            "Is it of my bride? Is she here? Tell me when she'll get here."

            "Have some patience, boy! She'll arrive when she arrives!"

            "Others can have patience. I'm the King of England. I don't have to," David answered, clearly glad that he was able to use his title for _something_. The young king had not gotten used to his power, and as he was still quite young, it was no wonder. "Why didn't you ever teach me about love and marriage?"

            Merlin sighed. "Don't jumble them together like that. They're two different things. Besides, I _did_ give you a lesson once, but your mind was elsewhere." He sighed again. "I didn't come here to discuss this with you. I came to warn you that I won't be here much longer. Soon enough, a nymph named Nimue, who will steal my powers and lock me in a cave for several centuries, will bewitch me."

            "Fiddlesticks. You always threaten me with this Nimue business when you're angry with me. Just turn yourself into a bat when she comes and fly away from her." A grin spread across David's face. "Say, do you remember when you turned me into a hawk when I was young? What a feeling that was, soaring freely through the air. Do it again. Right now."

            "What, so you can find Adele's carriage and peek in the window? I wouldn't dare."

            "You forget again who I am! Do it this instance or I'll… I'll have your head cut off!" David threatened, less than convincingly. 

            "You're the one who forgets who you are. You've brought a radiant young princess to Camelot as a peace treaty between nations. They've got a new queen coming to them, a royal marriage, and where is their king? Hanging from trees. Thank heaven History never found out. Praise God that Mallory or Tennyson never knew. Thank heaven your people don't know what you're doing.  Now, go back to the castle at once and wait for your bride." Merlin turned and walked off into a shadow, disappearing altogether after a few seconds.

            "Oh, sure, go back to the castle and wait for the girl who I've never seen in my life and must marry today. Yes, of course, it makes _perfect_ sense," David scoffed. His face got very serious. "I wonder if my subjects _are_ peering up at the castle in wonderment, pondering what their king is doing before his bridal hour. Well, England, I'll _tell_ you what the king is doing! He's terrified! He's _hiding_ from girl! From his future bride! That's what your king is doing! The same king who fearlessly fought a dragon, and never blinks an eye when he's going into battle, is hiding in a tree from a _girl_! Are you happy? That's what your king is doing!" He hopped down from the tree and paced around. "He's quaking with fear and anticipation. He's trying to find a place to hide. He wants to vanish from the earth. But, no, he has to be here for when his bride arrives. _Go back to the castle, David_! No! I won't! I'll stay right here until I see her carriage, that's what I'll do!"

            At that moment, something came running quickly towards him. He climbed quickly up into the tree, gazing down at the white-clad figure below him. He saw a mass of light brown hair as the female figure below him lowered her hood. She dropped to her knees and looked up towards the sky desperately. 

            "Saint Genevieve," she prayed. "It's Adele. You remember me, don't you? I've prayed devoutly to you every night for years! And now where are you? In my time of need, where were you? When my father sold my youth to some wretched king, why didn't you intervene for me? Shouldn't I get to be young before I'm old?" She scowled at the sky and sat back on the ground, hugging her knees. "Well, I tell you what, I'll never pray to you again! I'm not going to be tossed about and bargained for like chickens at the market! I want to live a normal girl's life. Shouldn't I get to? Why should my life amount to this? Just when I reach the golden age of eligibility and woo-ability, too. Is my fate determined by love and by courtship? Oh, no. Of course not. Clause one: fix the border; Clause two: establish trade; Clause three: deliver me; Clause four: stop the war; five, six: pick up sticks! How unfair! How cruel! I want to be a normal girl! I want men to fight and die for me! I want a feud to begin on my account! I want to be worshipped and fawned over. Is that so much to ask? I honestly don't think so." She sighed dramatically and stood up. 

            David had forgotten where he was as he listened to her and studied her features. So this was his bride? She certainly _was_ beautiful, as Merlin had told him. But she thought him a tyrant. She had called him wretched. He pondered this for a moment, but didn't do it for long, as he lost his balance and fell out of the tree, toppling to the ground beside her. He scrambled to his feet as she screeched and ran away from him quickly. 

            "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Don't run away! I won't hurt you!" he called to her desperately, taking several steps in her direction.

            "Liar!" She called back dramatically. "You'll throw me to the ground"

            "No, I wouldn't." He stepped closer towards her.

            "Then you'll twist my arm and tie me to a tree!" she cried, putting a dramatic hand to her forehead.

            "But I wouldn't. I promise…" He gave a lopsided smile and stepped still closer.

            "Then you'll throw me over your shoulder and carry me off!" She made several movements that could only be described as still more dramatic.

            "No! No, no, I wouldn't! I swear by the sword Excalibur, I won't touch you!" he assured her, nodding quickly.

            She got an angry look on her face. "Well, why not? Am I _that_ ugly?"

            "No… you're beautiful," he told her honestly.

            "Well? We're alone, and I'm completely _defenseless_! What kind of cad are you? Apologize at once." She crossed her arms defiantly.

            David blinked at her, quite confused. "I'm sorry. I'm not sure what I've done, but I apologize from the bottom of my heart." 

            Adele looked at him for a moment, her face blank of expression. "Oh… I know what the matter is. You heard me praying, didn't you?"

            "Well, yes… I couldn't help it. You pray pretty loudly." He shrugged, his face turning slightly red. 

            "And that means you know who I am." She crossed her arms across her chest.

            "You're Adele."

            "Yes, I am. And you're afraid because I might be your queen. That accounts for your respectful, polite…" She grimaced. "_Despicable_ behavior."

            "I promise I would never harm you for any reason. As for what to do with you, frankly, I don't know. I know you're to be the queen, and that I should return you to your carriage. At the same time, you're a maiden genuinely in distress. It's chivalry versus country. I can't decide which should have stronger pull over me."

            Adele rolled her eyes. "You'd better decide quickly. They'll get back to the carriage soon and realize that I'm not there, and then all of Camelot will be looking for me. At least that will be exciting. Unless, of course, all of Camelot is like _you_, and they all go home to deliberate." 

            David stared at her for a moment, then turned away. "Oh, Merlin, why aren't you here when I need you to be!" he said to himself. 

            "Who?" Adele asked curiously.

            "Merlin. My teacher. He would know exactly what to do. I'm not all that good at making decisions, so he makes them for me. He's the wisest man alive. He lives backwards."

            "I beg your pardon?" Adele said, looking shocked. 

"He doesn't age. He… youth-ens? He remembers the future, so he can tell you what you'll be doing in it. Do you understand?"

            She blinked at him. "Of course I don't understand. But if you mean that he's some kind of fortune-teller, I'd give a year in Paradise to know mine. I mean, I can't go back to my own castle now, and I'm not ever going on to this one."

            "You refuse to go on… _ever_?" he asked quietly, eying her carefully.

            Adele sighed. "My only choice is…" She glared at him. "Don't stare. It's rude. Who are you, anyway?"

            David thought for a moment, pondering what to tell her. "Actually, they call me Wart."

            "Wart? What a ridiculous name! Are you sure you heard them right?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

            "It's a nickname. I've had it since I was a kid."

            "You're sweet, despite your name. I didn't think I would like _anyone_ in Camelot. Imagine riding seven hours in a carriage on the verge of hysteria, then seeing that horrible castle rising in the distance, and running away; then having a man plop from a tree like an overripe apple . . . You must admit for my first day away from home it's quite a plateful. If only I were not alone. Wart, why don't you. . . Is it really Wart?"

            "Yes."

            "Why don't you run away with me?" Adele asked excitedly.

            "Me? Run away with you?" He looked shocked.

            "Of course. As my protector." Adele said frankly. "I would be taken advantage of by strangers. I expect that. But it would be _horrible_ if nobody were there to rescue me! Think of it! We can travel the world! France, Scotland, Spain…" She had a dreamy look in her eyes.

            "It's a very nice idea, but I'm afraid I can't do that. I must decline."

            "You're forcing me to _stay_?" she shrieked.

            "Of course I'm not," he told her.

            "You're the only person I know in Camelot, though. Who else can I turn to?" she whined.

            "If you are determined to leave, I'll find someone trustworthy to go along with you," he conceded.

            "Then do so at once."

            "But, _do_ look around. It's a wonderful place to be. We have an enchanted forest where the Fairy Queen, Onyx, lives in an invisible castle. There are unicorns with silver feet. There's a talking owl named Archimedes. And we have the most equitable climate in the whole world, ordained by decree!" He grinned proudly.

            "Oh, come on," Adele scoffed.

            "But it's true! The crown has decreed that the climate _must_ be _perfect_ all year long! Winter is forbidden to arrive until December, the summer months musn't be too hot, and always linger on through September. Rain never falls until after sundown. By eight in the morning, all the fog must disappear. There's not a happier spot in the whole world for a happily-ever-after."

            "Oh, I suppose the autumn leaves fall into neat little piles, do they?"

            "No, no! They blow completely away. In the middle of the night, of course."

            "Of course." Adele started to walk off, thinking David completely crazy now.

            "Moonlight always appears by nine p.m., and the snow _never _slushes on the hillsides. You must admit that it's a very pleasant place to live."

            "There she is!" Jack Kelly yelled as he approached. 

            "Wart, please! Let's go!" Adele hissed at him, biting her lip, and looking frantic.

            Jack seized David, and Racetrack helped him as the rest of their party joined them. "Was he trying to hurt you, Ma'am?" Racetrack asked, holding tightly to David.

            "If you'll excuse me," David said in a low voice. "I'd rather like to be let go, now, thanks."

            Jack and Racetrack exchanged significant looks and then dropped their holds on him.

            "Excuse me, sire, I didn't know it was you!" Jack apologized. Adele stared at him in shock. So he was the _king_! Well, _this_ certainly changed things.

            David walked past her and crossed his arms across his chest. "When I was about fourteen, our king died in London, and had no sons to succeed him. His only continuance was a sword put through and anvil, which stood on a stone. On the stone was written: 'Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone and anvil is rightwise king born of all England.' Lots of guys tried to take it out, of course, but none were able to. A great tournament was proclaimed for New Years Day for all the mightiest knights in the kingdom to come and try to dislodge the sword. I was a squire to my cousin, Sir Kay during that time. He'd forgotten his sword, and gave me a shilling to ride back and get it for him. When I was riding through London, I saw the sword in the stone, and I figured I'd save myself time if I borrowed it. I went in and tried to pull it out. It didn't budge. I tried again. I failed again. Then I closed my eyes and tried as hard as I could to pull it out one more time. I felt it move in my hand, then it slowly slid out of the stone. Then there was a great roar. I opened my eyes, and there was a huge crowd shouting 'Long live the King! Long live the King!' Then I looked at the sword and saw the blade gleaming with letters of gold. That's how I became king. I never knew I would be. I never wanted to e And since I am, I've been ill at ease in my crown. Until I dropped from the tree and saw you, that is." He turned toward Adele. "I decided that I wanted to be the most heroic, most splendid king who ever sat on any throne." The knights had dissipated and gone back towards the castle, leaving Adele and David alone. "If you'll come with me, I'll arrange for you carriage to take you back to your father." He started to walk in the direction of the carriage.

            "You know…" Adele said quietly. "I hear that the rain never comes until after sundown, and by eight the morning fog has flown… that the snow never slushes, and the fall leaves need no gathering." She smiled at him. "Sounds like a nice happily-ever-after spot to me."

            David smiled and walked over to her. He took her hand and kissed it.

            "You know, I'm scared," she told him quietly.

            "Scared?"

            "Marriage _is_ rather frightening, isn't it?" she admitted.

            "I have to admit, the thought _had_ occurred to me. But now _not_ marrying seems much more scary to me." He took her hand and put it on his arm, and took several steps until Adele stopped.

            "What would have happened if we didn't marry? To the treaty, I mean."

            "It would have been broken, and war would have been declared."

            Adele squealed with ecstasy. "War declared over _me_? How exciting!" She laughed and they began to walk towards the castle.

            At that moment, Merlin appeared out of the shadows, a grin on his aged face. "Well, he's ambitious at last. How foolish of me not to have realized sooner. He didn't need a lecture. He needed a queen." He chuckled and made his way behind them towards the castle.


	4. Scene 2

Jack walked into a beautifully decorated room with his arm around Sarah's waist. "Hey, Merlin," he greeted the old gentleman, and Sarah gave a small curtsey. 

"All his life I've been trying to teach him to think…" Merlin murmured.

"Who are you talking about?" Jack asked, looking quite confused.

"David. All in vain, of course. Over the hill comes his queen, and for her he pines to be Caesar and Solomon rolled into one. I tell you, Jack," Merlin addressed him for the first time. "I have waited years for this moment. And now it begins. What a joy it will be to watch." Spot and Peppermint wandered in hand in hand, and began to listen to Merlin's spiel. "To see him putting together the pieces of his destiny. It won't go quickly…"

"Who's he talking about?" Peppermint whispered to Sarah, not wanting to interrupt Merlin.

"The King," Sarah answered quietly.

"One year… Two years… what does it matter? I can see a night five years from now…"

Merlin began to hear a high feminine voice, and stopped speaking. "Follow me, Merlin," it whispered to him. "The winds will never find us, nor rain, nor snow…"

"What will happen, Merlin? Go on…" Jack prompted him. Not having heard the voice, he thought Merlin's pause odd. 

"Elyse, is that you?" the wizard whispered. "Oh, please, not yet… I must find out what will happen to him."

Elyse's voice rang more clearly through his head now. "We will live in paradise together, Merlin… for thousands and thousands of years, you shall be my life." Her slender form became hazily visible before him. He could see her long brown hair, and her emerald green eyes shining as her figure became more and more clear. Merlin stared intently ahead of him as he saw each of her impish freckles appear, and her long eyelashes become more pronounced. She held out her arm to him, beckoning him nearer. 

"Oh, Elyse, it _is_ you! Must you steal my magic _now_?" he asked desperately, watching her. Jack, Sarah, Spot and Peppermint stared at the wizard they so respected, finding his behavior quite disturbing. Jack made a motion with his head and started towards the door. The others followed quite readily, leaving Merlin and Elyse alone. 

"Couldn't you have waited a bit longer?" he pleaded. He stood and started to walk towards her, as if in a trance. He stopped suddenly. "Wait! Have I told him everything he needs to know? Did I tell him of Lancelot?" He thought for a moment. "Yes. I did tell him of Lancelot. But of Lancelot and Guenevere! Did I warn him of them? And what of Mordred?" He face gained a frantic look. "I didn't tell him of Mordred! I _must_ tell him!" He sighed. "It's gone. My magic is all gone."

"Only you and I," Elyse's voice rang, as Merlin walked to her and started to fade with her. "Goodbye world… we now fly to our home by the sea… just us…"

Merlin looked dejected as he stopped and looked around one last time. "Goodbye, David. My memory of the future is gone. I know no more the sorrows and joys before you. I can only wish for you in ignorance, like everyone else. Reign long and reign happily. And, oh, Wart, remember to _think_!" he said before disappearing at last, leaving the room empty of everything except his staff.


	5. Scene 3

Five years passed quickly in the land of Camelot, although no more quickly than the laws of Time would allow. David had worked hard to become an admirable king, per what he had told Adele he would do when he met her.

"You cannot deny the facts!" he said heatedly, standing next to her. Adele did not look up from the tapestry she was working on. "Did I or did I not pledge that I would become the most splendid king who ever ruled?"

"You did," Adele confirmed.

"And in five years, have I done that?"

"Indeed you have."

"I have not. I'm nothing like what I said to you that I'd be." He frowned and sat down on the floor several feet away. "I'm a failure. That's that."

"That's not true, David," Adele scolded. "You're the greatest warrior in all of England."

"But for what? Might isn't always right, Adele."

"Nonsense," Adele laughed. "Of course it is. To be right and lose couldn't possibly be right."

David stood and began to pace around the room. "Might and right. Battle and plunder. That's what keeps getting to me. Merlin used to frown on battles, yet he always helped me win them. I'm sure it's a clue. If only I know how to figure it out. I feel like I'm always walking down a winding dimly lit road, and in the distance I the outline of a thought, like the shadow of a hill. I stumble towards it, and fumble around, and finally I get there, but when I do, it's gone. Like it was never there to start with, and all I hear is a small voice telling me 'Go home, David, it's too dark for you to go out _thinking_.'" He sighed and leaned against the back of a chair dejectedly.

"My poor dear," Adele cooed, turning to look at him. "Let me see you do it. Walk out loud for me."

"Alright…" David agreed and stood up fully again. "Proposition: It's far better to be alive than dead."

"_Far_ better, yes," she agreed.

David took a step forward. "If that's so, why do we have battles, where people get killed?"

Adele puzzled for a moment. "I don't know. Do you?"

"Yes. Because somebody attacks."

"Of _course_, that's very clever of you!" She smiled happily for a moment, then became thoughtful again. "Why do they attack."

David left his 'trail of thought' and walked over to Adele, kneeling next to her. "I need to confess something I've never told you before for fear you wouldn't believe me."

Adele scoffed. "How ridiculous. I would never _not_ believe you!" she assured him.

"You know Merlin brought me up, and taught me everything I know. But do you know _how_ he taught me?"

"How did he teach you?"

David looked up into her eyes earnestly. "He changed me into animals."

Adele laughed. "Oh, I don't believe it for a minute!"

"You see, there you go. But it's true, I swear. I was a fish, a beaver, a squirrel, even an ant. Every time he turned me into an animal, he wanted me to learn something. Before he made me a hawk, for instance, he told me that while I would be flying through the sky, if I would look down at the earth, I would discover something."

"What did you discover?" Adele asked curiously.

"Not a thing. Oh, was Merlin mad! But tonight, on my way home, while I was thinking, I suddenly realized that while you're in the sky looking down at the earth, there are no borders… no boundaries. Yet, that's what somebody always attacks about. And you win by pushing them back across the boundary line that doesn't exist."

"It does seem odd, now that you put it that way," Adele admitted.

David returned to his little path of thinking. "Proposition: We have battles for no reason whatsoever. But, why? Why do we have battles?"

"Because knights love them!" Adele answered dotingly. "They like to charge in and whack away. It's splendid fun. You've said so yourself."

"It _is_ fun…" David conceded and took a step forward on his path. "But it doesn't seem like enough reason." He stepped back dejectedly.

"I think it is. And besides, it's awfully exciting to see your knight in armor riding bravely off to battle. _Especially_ when you know he'll be home in one piece for dinner." She smiled lovingly at David.

"That's it!" David yelled. "It's the armor! I forgot about that! Only knights are rich enough to have armor. They can declare war when it suits them, go slice up peasants and soldiers, and come home unharmed because peasants and soldiers don't have armor. All that can happen to a knight is an occasional dent." David ran helter-skelter towards the fireplace. "Wrong or right, they have the might, so wrong or right, they're always right, and that's wrong. Right?" he said quickly.

"Absolutely," Adele answered quickly, though she hadn't really caught the gist of what he'd said.

"That must be why Merlin helped me win. He hoped that I would take all this might that knocking about in the world and do something with it. But what…?" He put his hand on top of his head in deep thought.

After a significant pause, Adele cleared her throat. "Yes, what?" she prompted him.

"I don't know. It's gone. I've thought as hard as I can, and I can walk no farther." He sighed and sat down in a luxurious looking chair. "You see? I'm still not a king. I win ever battle and accomplish nothing. When the Greeks won, they made a new civilization. I'm not creating any civilization. I'm not even all that sure I'm civilized." He put his chin in his hands, looking dejected once more.

Adele rose and walked towards him, massaging his temples for him. "You shouldn't work so hard, dear," she admonished him. "Let's have a quiet dinner, and you can walk some more afterwards." She smiled down at him.

David nodded. "Bless you," he said quietly and kissed her. He took her hand and started to walk towards the dining hall. Several feet from the door, he stopped, and his face glowed with inspiration. "Adele, suppose we create a new order of chivalry?" he asked excitedly.

"Pardon me?"

"A new order! A new order, where might is only used for right—to improve instead of destroy! We can invite all the knights, good or bad, to lay down their arms and join! We'll take one of the larger rooms in the castle and put a table in it where we all can gather!"

"What would they do at this table?"

"Talk, discuss! Make laws, plan improvements!"

"Really, do you think the knights would want to do such a _peaceful_ thing?" she said with a look of disgust on her face.

"We'll make it an honor—something very fashionable so that everyone will want to join. And instead of whacking away for no reason, they'll only whack for good—defending virgins, restoring what's been done wrong in the past, and helping the oppressed. Might for right. That's it! Not might is right, might _for_ right!" He swooped her up and spun her around several times.

"It sounds wonderful!" she assured him, laughing.

"And it will be civilized. Young men, not old, burning with zeal and ideals. A new generation of chivalry! PAGE!" he bellowed. He was walking around the room excitedly, almost running.

Boots entered the room, out of breath. "Yes … yessir?" he asked, trying to stand up straight still. 

"Tell the heralds to mount the towers, and have their trumpets. Assemble the court in the yard. Send word that there is to be a proclamation.

"Yes, sir," Boots answered, and ran out of the room again quickly.

"It would have to be an awfully _large_ table," Adele pointed out. "And wouldn't there be jealousy? The knights would all claim superiority, and want to sit at the head of it."

"Then we'll make it a round one. That way there is no head!"

"What a splendid idea! My father has one that would be perfect! It seats a hundred and fifty, and he's never used it."

"Have I had a thought?" David asked her excitedly. "Am I at the hill, or is it only a mirage?"

Boots ran back in. "Sire, the heralds are waiting. Should I give them the signal?" 

David shook his head. "No, not yet. I may be wrong. This may be crazy. If only Merlin were here!" He said down dolefully. "He would know for certain! Knights at a table…" 

"A round table," Adele interjected.

"A round table. Might for right. A new order of chivalry. Shining knights going around the countryside like angels in metal, sword-swinging apostles, battling to undo evil… It's so naïve… adolescent… so juvenile… infantile… it's pure folly… it's… it's…" He sighed again.

"It's wonderful." Adele put her hand on his shoulder encouragingly.

"Yes, you're right. It is. It's wonderful. It's amazing." He jumped up. "Go and give the signal!" he told Boots excitedly.

"Yes, sir." Boots obeyed and left once more.

"The heralds will ring through the country, and tell every living person everywhere…"

"That there's never been a better king in all of history than Camelot's David Jacobs…" Adele cooed and hugged him. David hugged her back and then walked outside, holding Adele's hand. The two walked out onto the balcony in order to give the declaration.


	6. Scene 4

Several months passed by quickly, and word got out about David's new order of Chivalry. Word even got as far as France. Many knights had traveled far to join the new order, but none so far as Kid Blink, who had decided to come from his battlefields in France. He was a very celebrated knight where he came from, and knew that King David would accept him. He had traveled for days, and now could see the castle of Camelot in the distance.

"There it is, Snipes!" he told his squire, Snipeshooter. "That's Camelot. Camelot, here I come!" He gave a debonair smile to nobody in particular. "You know, they're going to have to appreciate me there. I mean, where in all the world is there a man with a more _perfect_ record in battle? Nowhere. And those at the round table _should_ be invincible—better than the rest! He has to be _better_ than the average man. That's why he will have to accept me at the round table," Blink said in complete earnest.

"Of course," Snipeshooter agreed absentmindedly. He was used to Kid Blink's rambling on about himself. For a "perfect" man, he certainly was impressed with himself. 

"I tell you what," he continued. "There's not a man in the world who could out-do me. I'm like Hercules, only better! My heart and my mind are as pure as morning dew, and I have amazing self-restraint. Why, they could easily name me a saint right now! The ways of the flesh don't tempt me. Not one bit. I'm amazing. God should have made _me_ the partner of Eve. If that were the case, we'd still be in Eden!" He smiled in a self-satisfied way. Just then, a man in armor walked up the hill slowly, (because, honestly, who could move quickly in that armor for any amount of time?) with his sword drawn. Blink drew his sword quickly and gave the man a hard blow to the head with it, knocking him to the ground. He smiled at his amazing strength and turned towards Camelot once more. "Ah, King David, what a wonderful man you must be to have thought of his new order, and the round table. I worship you before I have even met you. Beware enemies of the king, from now on you challenge _me_!" He waved his sword around in a gallant way and grinned before sheathing his sword once more. 

The man sat up and removed his helmet. "That was an amazing blow. Absolutely amazing," he said, standing up. Behold, it was King David himself! 

"Now that you've recovered, I bid you farewell, and next time you choose to challenge me, remember that you are also challenging the right hand of King David." He turned to leave with a nod of his head.

"But… I _am_ King David," said man protested. Snipeshooter's eyes got wide, and he dropped to his knees in submission. 

Kid Blink turned around in shock. "T-the king?" he stuttered. 

"Almost the late king," David admitted with a little shrug. 

"I _hit_ you? I struck the king? Ohno-ohno-ohno!" His eyes got wide. He dropped to his knees and crawled over towards David and hugged his knees tight. "Forgive me! I'm Kid Blink, of du Lac in France. I heard of your new order, and I came to join. Please forgive me, not because I deserve it, but in forgiving me, I will suffer more."

"But … I don't want you to suffer," he told the man at his feet. "I want to congratulate you. Please stand up. You too, squire." Snipeshooter rose to his feet, but Kid Blink remained clinging to David's knees. "I'm too ashamed to lift my head."

"Then I _order_ you to do it. I tell you, I've never felt a bash in the head like that. It was amazing. Where'd you learn how to do that?"

Kid blink reluctantly stood, but kept his head bowed in shame. "My skill comes from training, your Majesty. My strength from purity."

"Hm. That's a unique recipe, I must say," David commented.

"He's a unique man, sire," Snipeshooter spoke up for his lord. "At the age of fourteen he could defeat any jouster in France. His father, King Ban, made me his squire when he was only—" 

"King Ban? Benwick? What did you say your name was?" David looked at Blink once again.

"Kid Blink." He answered in a subdued voice. 

"Really? Wonderful! I was told you were coming!"

Kid Blink looked up for once. "You were told, your Majesty?"

"By Merlin, our court magician. He told me one day: "David, keep your eye out for Kid Blink of du Lac, from the castle Joyous Guard. He will come to Camelot and he will be… Oh, what was it?" David's face furrowed up in thought. 

"Your ally? Your friend? Your defender?" Kid Blink offered readily. "A man whose heart is already ready to serve you? Who already praises you? Whose body is your sword to brandish? Did he say all that, your Majesty? Because I am all of that."

"Well, really, that's almost more than what anyone could ask for," David told him. He was slightly embarrassed at Blink's doting devotion.

"Then you'll accept me to the table?" Blink asked excitedly.

"Of course, as if there was ever any doubt. We must arrange for your knighthood immediately."

"No! Not immediately. Not until I've proven myself to you. All you know of me now is talk. Let me prove it to you. Give me an order." He looked excited to get going on a new quest.

"Right now?" David asked in shock.

"Yes. Right now. Immediately. Send me on a task. Let me prove it to you."

"Well, actually…" David chuckled a little. "There's not much going on today. It's the first of May. The Queen and the court have gone a-Maying. I was on my way to surprise her when you surprised me."

"Gone… _a-Maying_, sire?" Kid Blink asked, clearly confused.

"Well, it's a sort of picnic. You eat grapes and chase girls around trees, and—"

"A … picnic?" Blink interrupted.

"Yes. It's a custom we have here. It's the time to gather flowers."

"Knights gathering flowers?" He was clearly shocked.

"Yes. Because there is so much to be done."

"Of, course, exactly," Kid Blink agreed, clearly not understanding at all.

"It's civilized. Civilization should have a few gentle hobbies. And I want you to meet the Queen."

"It would be an honor," Blink agreed. "Snipes, take the horses to the castle, feed them, and dress them for battle," he told his squire.

"For battle?" David asked, confused. "But there's no one to fight today."

"You can never be too careful. Enemies rarely take holidays," Blink pointed out, sending his squire on his way.

"I guess not. You know, Merlin…"

"Have I offended you, your Majesty?" Kid Blink asked carefully.

"No, no, no. I suddenly remembered what Merlin said about you. How strange. Strange and wonderful. He said that you would be the greatest knight to ever sit at my table. But that was long before I had even thought of a table. So, he knew it would exist! I thought he meant a _dining_ table! But he meant the Round Table! And I've stumbled on my future. I did the right thing!" He grinned joyously and gave a cheer.

"Did you ever doubt it, sire?" Kid Blink asked, as if it were a ludicrous idea.

"Of course I did. Only fools don't doubt." He grinned at Kid Blink. "Welcome to Camelot, Kid Blink. And welcome to the Round Table!" The made their way towards where the court was convened.


End file.
